Horse-detaching device



(No Mokil.)

.H. MICHAEL. 1103s DETAOHING DEVICE.

'No. 593,724. Patented-Nova 16, 1897.

Witnesses, Inventor.

I I 7 By M f w 154m UNITED STATES PATENT QEETCE.

HENRY MICHAEL, or HAMBURG, NEW YORK.

HORSE-DETACHING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 593,724, dated November 16, 1897. I

I Application filed February 20, 1897. Serial No. 624,475. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY MICHAEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Harnburg, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Horse-Detaching Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in horse-detaching devices, whereby the horse and his harness can be instantly separated from the running-gear of the vehicle.

It also relates to certain other devices and details of construction, all of which will be fully and clearly hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanyingv drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a top plan view showing the front portion of a light wagon and a similar View of the singletree and its attachments. Fig. 2 represents a rear side elevation of a singletree, showing a side elevation of the horse-detaching device connected with it. Fig. 3 represents an enlarged detached side elevation of one of the devices which release the horse from the thills at the same time he is released from the singletree. Fig. 4. is a transverse vertical section and represents a portion'of the front and bottom of a wagon Viewed from the rear, showing the crank within the body of the wagon for op-' erating the-detaching device. Fig. 5 represents an enlarged transverse section through the singletree on or about line Ct at, Fig. 1, cut- 3 5 ting also through a portion of the front of a wagon, showing the detaching device andthe means for operating it within :the wagon, showing also an additional means at the back of the singletree for operating said detaching 4o device. Fig. 6 represents an enlarged verticalcentral longitudinal section through one of the spring-cases, showing oneof the springs for keeping the detaching-bolts and operating parts in their normally-closed position, the

dotted lines showing their open position for ejecting and releasing the traces.

.The object ofmy invention is to provide a convenient and ready means for instantly releasing a horse from the singletree and thills of awagon whenever it becomes necessary to doso.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

1 represents the ordinary thills of a wagon.

2 is the transverse brace connecting them, and 3 represents a singletree pivoted to the brace 2 bythe bolt at in the usual manner. (See Fig. 1.) Thethills are secured to the wagon in the well-known way. To each end of the singletree is rigidly secured a pin '5 and a ferrule 6.' On the top side, preferably, are two tubular cases 7 and 7, one at each end of the sin gletr'ee and securely fasten ed thereto, each case 7 having at its outer end 8 a smallopening through which a bolt 9 passes. (See Fig. 6.) The bolts 9 extend back through the cases 7 to the center of the sin gletree and are each provided with a collar 10, (see Fig. 6,) which fits the tubular case and is adapted to move easily back and forth in it. Within each case 7. is a spiral spring 11, surrounding the bolt 9 and having its ends interposed between the collar 10 and the outer end 8 of the case. (See 1 Fig. 6, where this is shown.) At the outer end of each bolt 9 is rigidly secured by a nut- 12 (see Figs. 1 and 6) an inverted-U-shaped portion 13, the inner side 14 of which has an opening through which the end of the bolt 5 can pass (see Fig. 6) until it touches the op-' posite side 15 of said U-shaped piece 13. The

opposite ends of the bolts 9 at a point near or at the center of the singletree are pivoted by pins 16 to an arm 17-, provided with a thumb-piece 18 for operating it. is pivoted to the singletree by a pin 19. The

The arm 17 ends of the traces are secured by a loop over 8 5 the pins 5, as shown in section in Fig. 6.

From the above construction it will be seen that by turning the arm 17 in the direction of the arrow V or dotted lines W, Fig. 2, the

.bolts 9 and the U-shaped portions 13 con- 9o nected with them will be moved outward to the position shown by the dotted lines X in said Fig. 2. The inner part 14 moving out overthe pins 5 thereby forces the trace-straps 20 from said pins and releases them simulta- 5 neously therefrom. The moment the thumbpiece 18 is released the springs 11 instantly act and bring the parts to their normallyclosed position, as shown in Fig. 2.

An additional means located within the loo wagon is also provided for detaching the horse from the thills. In describing this part of my invention reference is had to Figs. land 5.

To the front face of the arm 17 is securely fastened a plate 21, (see Fig. 5,) having a forward extension 22, provided with a pin 23 at its rear end, the pin extending out from both sides of the extension-piece 22 and into the slots 24 (see Fig. 1) of a link 25. The rear end of the link 25 is pivoted by a vertical pin 26 to a link 27, so as to swing horizontally thereon. The opposite end of the link 27 is pivoted by a horizontal pin 28 to a short horizontal shaft 29, mounted in a box 30, secured to the under side of the wagon-box. A crankarm 31, connecting with or forming a part of the shaft 29, extends up through an opening 32 in the bottom of the wagon and is provided with a thumb-piece 33 (see Fig. 4) in this 0011- neetion. The purpose of providing the slotted link is to allow for the swinging of the whifl'letree, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. It will be obvious that the detaching device may be operated in the wagon-box by turning the crank-arm 31, which turns the arm 17 andoperates the device, as hereinbefore described.

A device shown in Fig. 3,also shown in place on the thills in Fig. 1, is secured to each of the thills for detachably securing the holdback-straps to the thills. It is constructed, preferably, of malleable cast-iron; but any suitable material may be used.

34 represents the base of the device, by which it is secured to the thills by screws or other well-known means. From the base 34 is an upward-extending circular portion 35, extending up from one side and slightly beyond the center, and at the opposite side is a short upward-extending portion 36,both parts being portions of the same circle. lVithin the curved portions 35 and 36 is fitted a grooved disk 37, having an opening 38 at one side. The disk 37 is fitted so that the parts 35 and 36 fit in the groove, and is secured in place within them, while it is free to turn easily. I preferably construct these grooved disks 37 of india-rubber, so that they may be sprung into place in the circular supporting portion; but they may, if desired, be formed of metal and the ends 35 and 36 bent toward each other to hold them in place when they are properly seated in the circular supporting portion. It has been found that the solid-rubber disks are preferable owing to their noiseless, elastic, and other advantageous qualities and to the fact that they can easily be removed from or replaced in the curved supporting portions when desired. If by any means the disk should fail to rotate in the supporting device, the horse would simply pull the rubber disk from its position. \Vith a metallic disk the supporting device under like circumstances would be either broken or bent.

The holdb'aek-strap 39, as shown in Fig. 3, in its proper position is securely held in place, but when the horse is released from the thills and moves forward he pulls the holdbaekstrap forward and causes the disk 37 to turn, thereby bringing the opening 38 around and between the ends of the parts 35 and 36, instantly releasing the holdback-strap at the point shown by the dotted lines 39. By this means it will be observed that the traces can be instantly detached from the singletree by the driver and that the horse itself automatically releases the holdback-straps, thus detaching the running-gear of the vehicle and the vehicle itself from the horse and the harness.

I claim as my invention 1. A holdbaek-strap-securing device, consisting of a base portion provided with means for attachment to the thills, a circular supporting portion having a portion cut away and a grooved rubber disk provided with an opening on one side, and adapted to be sprung into and out of engagement with the circular supporting portion, as set forth.

2. A holdback-strap-securing device, consisting of a base portion adapted to be rigidly fastened to the thills of the vehicle, an upward-extending circular portion extending up from one side of said base and slightly beyond the center thereof, and a short portion extending upward from the opposite side, and a circular disk or ring of rubber adapted to be sprung into said arms and provided with a depression to receive the loop of the strap, as set forth.

3. In a horse-detaching device, the combination with the Vehicle, its running-gear, thills, cross-bar, singletree and trace-holding pins at each end of said singletree, of an operating-arm pivoted at or near the center to the singletree, two rods pivotally fastened at their inner ends to opposite sides of the said operating-arm, devices at the outer ends of said rods for locking or releasing the traces to or from the holding-pins, a rod extending from the operating-arm to within convenient reach of the drivers foot, and joints in said arm to allow forthe turning of the singletree, substantially as described.

4. In a horse-detaching device, the combination with the vehicle, its running-gear, thills, cross-bar, singletree and trace-holding pins at each end of said singletree, of an operating-arm pivoted at or near the center to the singletree, two rods pivotally fastened at their inner ends to opposite sides of the said operating-arm, devices at the outer ends of said rods for locking or releasing the traces to or from the holding-pins, a rod extending from the operating-arm to within convenient reach of the drivers foot, joints in said arm to allow for the turning of the singletree, and springs for holding the device in its closed position and for returning it to said closed position after the traces have been released, substantially as described.

HENRY MICHAEL.

Witnesses:

A. J. SANGSTER, G. A. NEUBAUER. 

